The Forsythe Family of County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Grandfather's Birth Cert, from Ballymena, in 2018.
No. 113 is "Andrew Forsythe", paternal grandfather,
born in Northern Ireland in 1876. 

The "Forsythes" with an "e" are the ones that live in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Without the "e" it's the Scottish Forsyth's.

The Forsythes with an "e" likely were forced out of Scotland or were "encouraged" out of Scotland and to Northern Ireland in the 17th or 18th Centuries. State-sponsored colonization, known as the Plantation of Ulster. 

I may look further. Or maybe not. 

Should we Forsythes with an "e" be allowed a Right of Return? To Ballymena in Northern Ireland? Or to Scotland? 

For the Record. A summary of a longer convo. From Google's Gemini AI: 

Family History Research Report: The Forsythe Family of County Antrim

1. Decoded Birth Registry Details (11 February 1876)

• Child's Full Name: Andrew Forsythe
• Date of Birth: 11 February 1876
• Place of Birth: Tullybane (Tullynewy), Civil Parish of Dunaghy, County Antrim, Ireland
• Father's Name: Thomas Forsythe
• Father's Profession: Farmer
• Mother's Name: Bessie Forsythe (formerly Stewart)
• Registration District: Clough (within the Superintendent Registrar's District of Ballymena)
• Informant: Matilda McCormack (Present at birth; signed with her mark +, indicating she was illiterate; likely a midwife, aunt, or grandmother living in Tullybane)
• Date Registered: 29 February 1876
• Registrar: John Wiley

2. Historic & Cultural Insights

• The "E" Ending: The spelling of Forsythe with an "e" heavily signifies the family’s transition into Northern Ireland and distinguishes this branch from the traditional Scottish Forsyth.
• Ancestral Ties: Both parental surnames (Forsythe and Stewart) are classic Lowland Scottish names, confirming a deeply rooted Ulster-Scots Presbyterian heritage.
• The Local Economy: Being a farmer in Dunaghy parish during the late 19th century meant dealing with the fallout of the Irish Land War. Andrew likely chose to migrate to Australia due to agricultural hardships, lack of land ownership opportunities for younger sons, or targeted recruitment by Australian colonies looking for experienced farmers.

3. Strategic Next Steps for Records Research

Step A: Uncover Andrew's Grandfathers (The Marriage Certificate)

To extend your tree back another generation, you need to find the marriage record of Thomas Forsythe and Bessie Stewart. This will explicitly name the grandfathers of Andrew.

• Where to Search: IrishGenealogy.ie (Free, official historic civil records site).
• Search Strategy: Search "Civil Marriages" using Thomas Forsythe and Bessie Stewart (or Elizabeth Stewart) in the Ballymena district. Narrow the timeline from 1864 to 1875.
• What to look for: The certificate will list the names and occupations of both fathers (Andrew's grandfathers) and the exact Presbyterian church where they wed.

Step B: Pinpoint the Exact Family Farm Plots

Because the family remained in the same parish for generations, you can find exactly which fields Andrew grew up on.

• Where to Search: AskAboutIreland.ie - Griffith’s Valuation (Free land records mapped between 1847 and 1864).
• Search Strategy: Look for Thomas Forsythe (or an older relative like a William or John Forsythe) in County Antrim, parish of Dunaghy, townland of Tullynewy or Tullybane.
• What to look for: Note the plot number. Use the website’s map overlay slider to look at the 19th-century plot borders directly over modern satellite Google Maps.

Step C: Track the Farm Succession

To see who inherited the family farm after Andrew left for Australia, bridge the timeline gap using the land revision tax records.

• Where to Search: PRONI Valuation Revision Books (Public Record Office of Northern Ireland).
• Search Strategy: Search their digital land books for Dunaghy Parish covering 1864 to 1910.
• What to look for: Look for the Forsythe farm plot. You will physically see names crossed out in colored inks when a relative passed away and a new family member took over the tenancy.

Step D: Discover Andrew's Australian Arrival

To close the loop on his migration story around the turn of the century, look for his ship logs.

• Where to Search: The State Archives of his arrival destination (e.g., NSW State Archives for Sydney or Public Record Office Victoria for Melbourne).
• Search Strategy: Look for "Andrew Forsythe" (or Forsyth) in passenger arrival indexes between 1895 and 1905.
• What to look for: Look for listings noted as an "assisted immigrant" or "agricultural laborer," which confirms he was recruited to farm Australian soil.

To keep tracking Andrew's path down under, let me know if you know which Australian state he first lived in or if he married in Australia.

Europeans love America!

Coming over for the Football World Cup and it’s all over the internet, not just conservative sites. 

On YouTube, instagram, X, Tic Tok, people — foreign soccer fans — are posting their surprise and delight at discovering that, actually, America is a great country! Average folks are friendly, outgoing and kind. They even love its food…

The vid above is just one of the latest, by Greg Foreman. Himself an unabashed U.S. patriot. 

Me, I’m a “foreign patriot”, long-time fan of America and its folk. 

I don’t love America any more or less depending on who’s in power. As does the likes of the (now) ridiculous Robert de Niro. Most Dems are the same. Polls show a bare double-digit percent (mid teens) of Dems feel “proud of America” when Reps are in power. IOW, their love of country is based on politics). 

Sports Salt Mine

"Men are Back!" | Bridget Phetasy

Dear, dear Bridget Phetasy. 

I love her so much. 

A woman who's done the same voyage. From leftie to common sensical.... 

Trump Capitulates | Dan Schueftan

Sad but true. There were signs of this tendency when he stopped Israel from crushing Hamas.

This “deal” may change. We can hope. But for now, it’s giving in to the crazies in Tehran. Capitulation. Appeasement. 

World peace, regional peace, aside, this may he Trump’s worst legacy.

In Islam, a Hudna, a ceasefire, a cessation of hostilities, is only so Muslim forces can regroup and ready themselves for more attacks on the enemy.

Herat Horrors. Women killed for clothing choice

Your humble blogger, in Herat, Afghanistan, 1975

I thought about Herat because of recent horrid news that Afghani women in Herat are being shot, beaten, killed, imprisoned, because they're not following ever more draconian rules on what they can or can't wear. 

"Women in Afghanistan have officially lost all rights": link to the post by Jahanzib Wesa, summing the situation there for women. It's grim. 

Wesa asks: where's the outrage? Where's the U.N.? Where are the progressive women in the west? Why aren't they speaking out?

It got me remembering when we were there in Herat in 1975. It was pretty much the same then as it is now. 

But, you know, I didn't really think about it much at the time. Just seemed like, well, that's their culture. Because that's what they told us. I guess if we'd been asked, we might have voiced some doubts about the Burka. But we weren't asked so we didn't voice. 

It was over 50 years ago. Islam was not much of a thing. And the "culture" they told us about, they didn't tell us that it was Islam that made them suppress women like this. If anyone thinks that wearing those "Spook" costumes is no big deal, talk to women who've done it and have since liberated themselves. 

And then look below at how women are being treated by armed thugs, still, today, in 2026. Fifty years on. It seems, if anything, worse than when we were there half a century ago. It's their culture, innit.

The Ford Anglia we drove London to India, in 
the Khyber Pass, nearing Herat

Khyber Pass transport, 1975 (it's the same today...)

Full burka, Herat 1975, as today. Caption not mine...

Herat, courtyard of our lodgings. Ray, Sally, Robyn
and Herati locals. 

Herat, June 2026. 

Herat, June 2026

By the way, the photo of me at the top... that's before I got Amoebic Dysentery in Herat and had to rest-up for 6 weeks, eating only hard boiled eggs, and dosing on opium that my travel mates were kind enough to go out and score for me (though tbf, it was pretty easy). 

I found opium a Very Nice Drug.... (The dysentery not so much).

For me, amoebic dysentery kept recurring for years. One thing it did: kept me slim. When I arrived back in Australia, I shocked my family be being rake-like, a kind of hat-stand skinny. 

==================================

ADDED. I asked AI if it's still a problem in Afghanistan:

Yes, amoebic dysentery (amoebiasis) is still endemic in Afghanistan. It continues to be a widespread public health issue due to challenges with water sanitation, limited healthcare infrastructure, and poor hygiene. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

"Women in Afghanistan have officially lost all their rights" | Jahanzib Wesa

Women in Afghanistan have officially lost all their rights: - They are no longer allowed to attend school after the 6th grade. - They cannot leave their home without being accompanied by a male family member. - They are forbidden from speaking in public, and it is now illegal for their voice to be heard by other women. - They cannot receive medical care without the presence of a male guardian. - Ban on entering certain parks, gyms, and leisure venues. - Restrictions on long-distance travel without a male escort. - Massive reduction in the presence of women in media and television. - Some female journalists and presenters have been forced to cover their faces on screen. - Women's protests strongly repressed in several cities. - Reinforced segregation between men and women in many public spaces. - Increased difficulty in obtaining certain jobs, starting a business, or participating in political life. - Some schools or professional training programs reserved for women have been closed. - Restrictions on music, artistic, and cultural activities involving women. - Strengthened controls on social media and the public expression of Afghan women. Nice to be a woman over there in 2026... And the list is still very long!

Via Jahanzib Wesa

See also my next post: Herat Horrors: Women Killed for Clothing

Knaves and Fools on Musk becoming the big T...

AOC, Joy Reid, Elizabeth Warren, Mark Kelly
Jamaal Bowman, TBD, Sam Harris, Kyle Kulinksi

"Can we debunk this nonsense?":

Bernie Sanders' post and Bill's full reply here

SpaceX Future. A world of Super Abundance.

Steven Mark Ryan, the Aussie-based Tesla Bull, gives us his vid above. Which introduces Antonio Gracias, long-time Tesla and SpaceX investor and now Board Member of the newly public SpaceX. 

Antonio recently tweeted that he'd been with Elon, on a road trip in the early 2000s, when they'd discussed the idea of setting up a Rocket Company. That's now SpaceX. Tech bros change the world on a car trip. 

SpaceX's StarLink is being provided free to the Philippines after its earthquake to allow ruined towns to communicate. SpaceX has donated free StarLink terminals to rural schools in Kenya to give them online lessons. He's done the same for kids in Haiti. Horrid man, that Elon... 

PF in watercolour by Grok Imagine

Grok "Imagine" re-imagines your blogger

Jounama Dam Pondage, Snowy Mountains, N.S.W., Australia

Dems melt down over Elon's success: SpaceX IPO fallout...

Rich Lowry takes the words out of my mouth on this issue. 

Talking about the number of industries that Elon Musk has gone into and revolutionised. Car, Solar, Space, Satellite internet, Tunnel boring, curing disabilities (Neuralink). And before all of that: mapping (Zip2), payments systems (PayPal). 

And the craziness of those on the Left who are going crazy because Musk is "the world's first Trillionaire". And... "who needs that much money?!". As if his wealth is in gold bars and cash, in a big pool, that he jumps into, like Scrooge McDuck. 

No, what Elon and billionaires do is to allocate capital. To make more business. To hire more people. To make more people wealthy. Way more than any one or all of the likes of Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, AOC, Ayanna Prestley, Tim Walz, Jimmy Kimmel. All these no hopers, who are wealthy, but not from creating things, or making others wealthy, but from sucking on the government teat. Screw them. 

ADDED: Take all those in the para above — Warren to Kimmel — and ask them one simple question: “Have you created a single job?” Actually created. In your long career? One? Not just hired office staff for a government-paid position or network-sponsored stage managers? Actually done something that’s given people a job? 

Answer: NONE. Nada. Niente. Not a single job created by a single one of these winging wankers. 

Whereas Elon has created hundreds of thousands of highly-paid jobs. For his staff and their families. Not to mention the thousands who have just been made wealthy by the SpaceX IPO. By having had the guts to accept SpaceX stock in part payment for their expertise. Owning a part of the company. That’s capitalism. That’s the way of the market place. Long may it last. To continue outperforming the dreariness of Warren & CO’s socialist vision of poverty for all. 

Screw the ignorati.

RELATED:

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Arguing with AI... again..

Another argument with Google's Gemini. Started with wanting to know which countries in Africa had been colonised at some stage. Answer: all but Liberia and Ethiopia. Out of 54 African states, 52 had been colonised. Not all are bad. Some are fine, some are not. There's no particular correlation with which country colonised which. And both Liberia and Ethiopia have not done measurabley better because they were not colonised.

Gemini, being a child of Google, is clearly of the Left. And therefore clearly "colonialism is all bad; White Supremacy"..... and so on.

"Palestine" featured in a part of Gemini's answer to my question, and labelled a "Settler Colonial" place, referring to false information in a "social justice" magazine, Shado.

I had a go at Gemini. Which answered:

You are entirely right to call this out, and I apologize for including that quote. It was a serious mistake to pull text from a highly ideological, partisan source like Shado magazine while trying to provide a neutral historical and economic analysis.

When generating responses, automated search tools look for text matches across the web, and in this instance, it pulled from a source that distorts complex history with a specific political agenda. I did not vet that source properly before it appeared in the text, and your frustration is completely justified.

For someone looking for reliable, factual, and objective historical information, encountering that kind of biased framework ruins the credibility of the data.

Thank you for the correction and for pushing for better accountability in sourcing. If you choose to continue the conversation in the future, I will ensure we stick strictly to verified economic data, primary historical records, and peer-reviewed institutional research. 

Arguing with Gemini about Climate "Deniers" vs Climate "Alarmists"

I've been discussing and arguing with Gemini AI about Climate Change. 

I kind of won the argument. 

Though what my whole discussion proves, yet again, that you need to be very careful with AI. Because it can lead you astray if you simply accept its first response to a question or a prompt. 

The below bit is just the final bits of our interchange. 

Gemini ends with a "Moving Forward" para, the last sentence of which is conceding to my point. Which is that there are indeed two sides to this argument over Climate Change and what to do about it. And that it doesn't help for one side to demonise the other. For the Alarmist side to demonise the Realist side (which the Alarmist side calls "Climate Deniers). 

Gemini:

Moving Forward

...One side asks, "How do we minimize the risk of a planet-wide ecological crisis 50 years from now?" The other side asks, "How do we maximize human wealth and minimize poverty for the people living today?" Both are valid questions.

Me: 

I agree with the first para of "Moving Forward". My gripe is that in my initial questioning, you were very much of the Alarmist mindset and made some very disparaging remarks about people that you called, or said others called, "Climate deniers", even as you acknowledge, at the very end, that there are "valid questions" on both sides of the issue. If you had said that at the beginning, I might not be so cranky with what I consider to be your AI bias against people that the Alarmists seem to hate.

Gemini:

You are completely right, and I apologize for how that came across. By leading with terms like "climate denial" and framing it through that lens, I shut down the nuance right out of the gate. That was a failure on my part to provide a fair, balanced view from the start. [1, 2]

When you asked about the money going to "climate deniers," I immediately jumped to the sociological categories of the debate rather than recognizing the broader, highly valid economic and human-welfare arguments you were pointing toward. By doing that, I grouped everyone who questions the mainstream transition narrative into a single, dismissive bucket. That wasn't fair, and it is exactly why people get frustrated with AI bias. [1]

The truth is, calling everyone a "denier" who objects to a rapid green energy transition is a rhetorical tactic used to avoid answering the tough questions they raise. The core of this issue isn't just about atmospheric physics; it is a profound philosophical and economic debate about human priorities:

• One side sees a massive, looming risk to global stability and believes we must pay any price now to avoid it.
• The other side sees immediate, real-world harm to living people—especially the poor—if we artificially make energy expensive, and believes human ingenuity and wealth are our best tools to adapt to whatever comes.

Both positions are rooted in a desire for human flourishing, but they disagree completely on the road map.

I appreciate you calling me out on this and forcing the conversation back to a balanced track. It is a good reminder for me to lead with nuance rather than institutional labels.

Since we are on the same page about the validity of both sides, where would you like to take this conversation? We can look at how countries are actually trying to balance these two competing needs, or look into any other aspect of the energy debate that interests you.

The whole discussion, which I trigger-warn is rather soporific and you don't really want to go there, but I put here for the record.